What Makes the Sky Colorful at Sunset?

Eliza (age 9) asked,

“What makes the sky so colorful when the sun sets?”

And Haisley (age 12) asked,

“Why is the sky blue in the morning and orange in the evening?”

Thanks for your questions, Eliza and Haisley.

Colorful sunsets and sunrises are beautiful, no matter where in the world you are. The colors in our sky come from waves of colored light that travel from the sun.

The waves are all the colors of the rainbow—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. The waves of light hit gases and particles as they travel through our atmosphere, causing the waves to scatter. Blue light travels in short, choppy waves and gets scattered more than the other waves of light, so we see more of the blue waves. That’s why, during the day, the sky looks blue. (You can read this blog to learn more about these colored waves of light and why the sky looks blue.)

During sunrise or sunset, the sun is closer to the horizon, and the waves of light must travel through more of the atmosphere. More light is scattered during these times, including the longer waves of light like red and orange—the colors we tend to see at sunset.

Psalm 113:3 says, “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!”

At sunrise and sunset and all throughout the day, we can praise God for his wonderful creativity on display in the skies.

Do you have a question about God’s Word or his world that you want us to answer? Is there a topic you want to learn more about? Ask your parents to help you submit your question today. Watch for our answer here on the blog or in Kids Answers magazine. We’d love to hear from you!